Giovanni Stefano Menochio, - , was an Italian
Jesuit biblical scholar.
Life
Menochio was born at
Padua
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
, and entered the Society of Jesus on 25 May 1594. After the usual years of training and teaching the classics, he became professor of sacred scripture and then of moral theology at Milan; thereafter began his long life of superiorship. He was successively superior of Cremona, Milan, and Genoa, rector of the
Roman College
The Roman College ( la, Collegium Romanum, it, Collegio Romano) was a school established by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1551, just 11 years after he founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). It quickly grew to include classes from elementary school t ...
, provincial of the provinces of Milan and Rome, assistant of Italy, and
admonitor to the Fathers-General
Vincenzo Carafa and
Francesco Piccolomini Francesco Piccolomini may refer to:
*Pope Pius III
Pope Pius III ( it, Pio III; 9 May 1439 – 18 October 1503), born Francesco Todeschini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 September 1503 to his death ...
. He died in Rome.
Works
His first
exegetical
Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretation ...
essay was a politico-Biblical study: ''Hieropoliticon, sive Institutiones Politicæ e Sacris Scripturis depromptæ'', 956 pages (Lyon, 1625). This book on theocratic politics was dedicated to Cardinal
Alessandro Orsini Alessandro Orsini (1592–1626) was an Italian Cardinal. He was a patron of Galileo, who dedicated his 1616 work on the tides to him, and requested that he pass it on to Pope Paul V. Orsini belonged to the ducal family of Bracciano.
Orsini was ...
. A second edition (Cologne, 1626) was dedicated to
Ferdinand III. The Jesuit poet
Sarbewski made this study the subject of an ode (see "Lyrica", II, n. 18).
The next year there appeared an economic study of the Bible: ''Institutiones Oeconomicæ ex Sacris Litteris depromptæ'', 543 pages (Lyon, 1627). The author translated into Italian these lessons on the care of one's own household; this translation was a posthumous publication: ''Economia Christiana'', 542 pages (Venice, 1656).
His
magnum opus
A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...
was ''Brevis Explicatio Sensus Literalis Sacræ Scripturæ optimus quibusque Auctoribus per Epitomen Collecta'', 3 vols., 115 pages, 449, 549+29 (Cologne, 1630). Many other editions of this commentary have been published in many lands: Cologne, 1659; Antwerp, 1679; Lyons, 1683, 1697, 1703; the revised edition of
René-Joseph Tournemine, S. J., published at Paris, 1719, 1721, 1731; Avignon, 1768; Ghent, 1829; the enlarged and revised edition of
Francesco Antonio Zaccaria
Francesco Antonio Zaccaria (March 27, 1714 - October 10, 1795) was an Italian theologian, historian, and prolific writer.
Biography
Francesco Antonio Zaccaria was born in Venice. His father, Tancredi, was a noted jurist. He joined the Austria ...
, S. J., published at Venice, 1743, 1755, 1761.
The ''
scholia
Scholia (singular scholium or scholion, from grc, σχόλιον, "comment, interpretation") are grammatical, critical, or explanatory comments – original or copied from prior commentaries – which are inserted in the margin of t ...
'' of Menochio are introduced into the ''Bibla Magna'' and the ''Bibla Maxima'' of
Jean de La Haye; the ''Bibla Sacra'' of
Lucas Brugensis
Franciscus Lucas Brugensis or François Luc de Bruges (1548/9–1619) was a Roman Catholic biblical exegete and textual critic from the Habsburg Netherlands.
Life
Early life
Franciscus Lucas was born in Bruges late in 1548 or early in 1549, t ...
; the ''Cursus Script. Sacr.'' of
Migne
Jacques Paul Migne (; 25 October 1800 – 24 October 1875) was a French priest who published inexpensive and widely distributed editions of theological works, encyclopedias, and the texts of the Church Fathers, with the goal of providing a ...
; fourteen editions of the ''Sainte Bible'' of
Louis de Carrières, S. J.; and ''La Sainte Bible'' of
Claude-Joseph Drioux
Abbé Claude-Joseph Drioux (17 February 1820 – 13 May 1898) was a French priest, popular educator, cartographer, geographer, historian, and religious writer.
Drioux was born 17 February 1820 at Bourdons, Haute-Marne. He was first priest, then ...
(Paris, 1873).
A later critic,
Simon
Simon may refer to:
People
* Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon
* Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon
* Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...
, though not at all in sympathy with Menochio's orthodoxy, says "C'est un des plus judicieux scoliates que nous ayons tant sur le Vieux que sur le Nouveau Testament" (Hist. Crit. du N. T., xliv).
Reusch (''Kirchenlexikon'') prefers the notes of Menochio to those of
Manuel de Sá
Manuel de Sá (b. at Vila do Conde, Province Entre-Minho-e-Douro, 1530; d. at Arona, Italy, 30 December 1596) was a Portuguese Jesuit priest, theologian and exegete.
History
He distinguished himself as a student at the University of Coimbra, a ...
and
Mariana.
This commentator sought to find the literal meaning of the Holy Writ in the Bible and the Fathers. Menochio studied the text in its original, and brought to bear upon that study knowledge of Jewish antiquities.
Main works
*
*
*
* ''Le stuore, tessute di varia erudizione sacra, morale e profana'' (Rome, 1646-54, 6 vols. 4to); the first published under the fictitious name of Giovanni Corona.
*
See also
*
Hebrew republic
References
*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Menocio, Giovanni
1575 births
1655 deaths
Italian biblical scholars
17th-century Italian Jesuits
Writers from Pavia